Search Like a Librarian
Where am I and where do I need to be?
So far, you’ve:
- Completed the Copyright Modules for students
- Watched the video on creative commons
- Thought about what you want to teach!
Now let’s talk about how to get the primary and secondary historical sources when you are a practicing history teacher!
Finding the right stuff...
Finding the resources you need, knowing where and how to search is both an art and science, the more you do it, the easier it will become! A great place to start is:
- Identifying what you need (primary sources, secondary sources or perhaps both?), and...
- Considering where you can find it (we have you covered on some great places to look below, so read on...)
Identifying what you need (...and searching the primary and secondary sources)
Did you know you can reuse the searching skills you learnt at uni when finding information in the real world? How cool is that!
When you are looking for copyright compliant material to create your lessons, whether you are looking for primary or secondary sources, always consider:
- What information you need and what you are looking for
- Where would be the best place to look
- What tips and tricks you can use to make your search as easy as possible!
A quick reminder on how to plan your search
Before you jump into searching, you should brainstorm and plan so you can approach your search in a logical way to find the information you need in the quickest and most efficient way possible. Explore the below tabs and refresh your knowledge on search planning!
Summarise your question or topic
This sounds obvious, but to begin searching you should be clear about the topic of your research or assessment.
If this is for an assessment, ensure you review your assessment instructions. You may already have received a topic, a statement or clues to guide your search.
So write down your summary and check that it's clear and focused.
Identify the keywords
Now highlight, underline or circle the keywords or main concepts in your summary. These words can help you build your search strategy and set parameters.
Think of alternative search words for each concept
These can be synonyms, related words, abbreviations, acronyms and other words that are specific to your topic.
To discover synonyms, refer to a thesaurus (such as https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus) and see what other words could be used.
Be clever
Now you have a strong basis for your search, it doesn't stop there.
Improve your search strategy using special characters and symbols to create clever search strings. There is more detail about these advanced techniques in the section below.
Document your search
This will help you plan your search properly and remember the techniques.
Download the planner below and follow the steps to create your own search strategy.
Curious about where to find some Awesome Sources?
Check out the below H5P to see where you can find some of them...